The murder of the 38-year-old handyman, who had served in the Navy and worked as a physical therapist, went unsolved until recently.

Sheriff’s homicide detectives identified Robert James Lewis, 35, as a suspect in the case and obtained an arrest warrant for him, homicide unit Lt. Dennis Brugos said.

Lewis was serving time in a prison in Lancaster for an unrelated offense. Brugos said Lewis was scheduled to be released Thursday, but was arrested about 11:30 a.m. by homicide detectives. Lewis was brought to San Diego and booked into county jail.

Brugos declined to say how investigators connected Lewis to the murder, or the cause of Slusser’s death.

Slusser’s daughter, 3 at the time, told a relative that her father had been arguing with someone, then was shot, in their East Washington Avenue apartment in El Cajon. Police found no evidence or witnesses to a shooting.

Slusser’s sister reported him missing three days before his charred remains were found in the pickup.

Lewis is scheduled to be arraigned in connection with the slaying Friday in South Bay Superior Court.